Process for rolling rail-anchors



B. WOLHAUPT'ER.

PROCESS FOR ROLLING RAIL ANCHORS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 1Q, 1918.

1,371,288. I Patented Mar. 15,1921.

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B. WOLHAUPTER.

PROCESS FOR ROLLING RAiL ANCHORS.

ARPLICATION FILED 001,14. 1918.

1 ,37 1 288, Patented Mar, 15, 1921.

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B. WOLHAUPTER.

PROCESS FOR ROLLING RAIL ANCHORS.

APPLICATION FILED 001 14. I9l8.

1 371 2 Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

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B- Vl olhazglfterg' I B. WOLHAUPTER. PROCESS FOR ROLLING RAIL ANCHORS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT-14,1918.

1,371,288. P ted Mar. 15, 1921.

I 5 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

B. WULHAUPltR.

PROCESS FOR ROLLING -RA|L ANCHORS.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 14, 19M.

1,371 ,288. Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

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wi/imm UNITED STATES BENJAMIN WOLHAUPTER, OF NEW ROCHELLE, NEW YORK.

PROCESS FOR ROLLING RAIL-ANCHORS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 15, 1921.

Application filed October 14, 1918. Serial No. 257,981.

T (17d whom it may concern Be it known that I, BENJAMIN VVoLHnUr- 'rna,citizen of the United States, residing at New Rochelle, in the county oflVestchester and State of New York, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Processes for Rolling Rail-Anchors, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to a process for manufacturing rail anchorswhereby devices of this character may be expeditiously and economicallymanufactured in a rolling mill.

Heretofore, it has been the practice to produce rail anchors by forgingand casting operations and also by cutting and bending the same out ofbar steel. Practical difiiculties have been experienced in successfullycarrying out such processes of making a rail anchor and therefore thepresent invention has in view a simple and inexpensive method ofproducing the rail anchors by suitably shaping the metal blanks in thepasses of a rolling mill. Accordingly, a primary object of the presentinvention is to provide a process whereby anchors may be produced in anordinary rolling mill in relatively long strips or bars. andsubsequently sheared, and bent to produce the finished anchor.

By the rolling method proposed by the present invention many advantagesin the production of rail anchors are obtained. A distinct advantage ofemploying the rolling method is that the metal can be distributed overdifferent parts of the anchor in proportion to the strains that comeupon it in different locations in its application to the rail. On thecontrary underthe usual methods ordinarily employed in making railanchors, that portion or section of the anchor where the greatest amountor section of metal is required to meet the greatest strains is usuallyof the same area or section as the entire anchor, and this same area orsection prevails even at those point where the strains are very lightand but a small amount of metal is required. In other words anchors produced by former methods do not make proper provision for effectively andeconomically distributing the metal in proportion to the strains withthe result of having useless metal in locations where it is not neededand also resulting frequently in the production of a weak anchor.

Accordingly, an important object of. the invention is to provide amethod of manufacturing a rail-anchor of substantial form by a simplerolling process, the said process eii'ectmg an economical use of thematerial, in such a form however, that the functional characteristics ofthe anchor are not impaired in the slightest degree, but as a matter offact, rendered more pronounced and eflicient. Furthermore, the presentprocess makes possible the production of an anchor whose use is notconfined to one section of rail, but on the contrary may be used on manysections both large and small.

While various instrumentalities may be utilized in carrying the presentprocess into effect, and various minor departures may be made in thehandling of the bar from which the anchors are ultimately made duringthe course of its development without departing from the invention, oneof the ways in which the process may be effectively carried out in apractical and eflicient manner is suggested in the accompanyingdrawings, in which Figures 1 to 5 inclusive are more or lessdiagrammatic views illustrating the various cross-sectional shapesevolved during the rolling operation, said shapes starting with the baror billet shown in Fig. l and ending with the shape shown in Fig. 5.

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of a portion of an anchor blank havingthereon dotted lines indicating the points at which the.

rolled blank may be sheared to produce individual anchor sections ofvarious sizes.

Fig. 7 is a perspective view of an individual anchor section after ithas been sheared from the rolled bar blank, and before being subjectedto the shaping instrumentalities of the bending machine.

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of a finished anchor, the dotted linesinthis figure representing the original shape of the anchor or the shapeof the anchor section shown in Fig. 7.-

Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view showing an anchor producedby thepresent process applied to a rail flange.

Fig. 10 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the successive stepsinvolved in the present process.

Fig. 11 is a view of a shearing machine which is adapted to cut therolled anchor blank into individual anchor sections.

Fig. 12 is a view of the portion of a machine adapted to bend theindividual anchor section into its final form, said view showing thebending instrumentalities open with an anchor section therebetween readyto be bent.

Fig. 13 is a view similar to Fig. 12 showing the bendinginstrumentalities in closed relation to give the anchor section itsfinal form and set.

Fig. 14 is a view of a modified type of bending machine with its bendingjaws open.

Fig. 15 is a view of the parts shown in Fig. 14 closed.

Fig. 16 is a side view of a tempering apparatus whichis employed in thefinal step of the process.

Fig. 17 is a perspective view of a modified form of anchor blank as itcomes from the final set of rolls, and having thereon shear linesindicating the width of the various anchor sections.

Fig. 18 is a perspective view of the final form of anchor made from theblank shown in Fig. 17.

Fig. 19 is a still further modified form of anchor blank.

Fig. 20 is a perspective view of an anchor formed from the blank shownin Fig. 19.

Similar reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout theseveral figures of the drawings.

Generally, the present invention contemplates a rolling process for railanchors or anti-creepers which primarily involves the subjecting of abillet or bar blank to a series of properly shaped roll passes toproduce a simple anchor blank whose cross-sectional shape is of theapproximate form of the anchor, and wherein the metal is distributed inrelatively small amounts where the strains are light, and in largeramounts by integral thickenings where the heavy strains will be focused.After having produced a blank having these novel and advantageouscharacteristics it is proposed to cut or divide the same into suitablewidths to form individual anchor sections which may be subsequentlyformed or bent into the ultimate shape desired, and then subjected to atempering bath to give the desired set and hardness to the metal.

Accordingly, in carrying the present invent-ion into eflfect it is firstcontemplated to use a suitable bar or billet A, Fig. 1 of the drawings,and subject the same to the action of rolls having a pass which willproduce the primary bowed approximate shape B shown in Fig. 2. Afterthis initial shapingand' distribution of the metal takes place as shownin Fig. 2, the blank B is subjected to successive rolling operationswhich produce the sections C, D, and E, the latter being substantiallythe final shape of the bar blank as it leaves the final roll pass of themill.

A comprehensive understanding of the process and the individual stepsthereof may be obtained from the diagrammatic illustration of Fig. 10 ofthe drawings wherein is shown in a diagrammatic fashion the severalinstrumentalities which may be utilized in performing the necessaryoperations to complete the rail anchor. These instrumentalities areillustrated in the order of their activities commencing with a generalillustration of the final-pass rolls R of the rolling mill. Referring tothis diagrammatic illustration of Fig. 10 of the drawings and to thegeneral form of the bar as it leaves the final roll pass, such formbeing illustrated in Fig.

6 of the drawings, it will be observed that the blank includes arelatively fiat and tapered body with one edge portion rolled over intoa substantially hooked formation to thus provide one of the rail flangeengaging elements of the anchor. It will be observed that the length ofthese blanks, desig: nated generally as F, may vary in accordance withmanufacturing conditions and rolling mill practice, and thecross-sectional shape of the blank may also vary according to the typeand design of anchor being rolled. l owever, in every case, after theblank F has been formed by the rolls R it is proposed. as a next step ofthe process, to subject the same to the action of a suitable shearingmachine designated generally as S. To this end the blank F may becarried from the rolls R to the shearing machine by any suitableconveying means, and when it reaches the shearing machine station, itpasses between the shear blades 1 and 2 of the shearing machine S untilthe end of the blank strikes a suitable adjustable gage 3 which may beset at any desired distance with reference to the fixed blade of theshear to pro duce an anchor section of the desired width, as indicatedby the dotted lines a2- 1 -2, in Fig. 6 of the drawings. The individualanchor sections G thus formed. by the shearing operation are thenconveyed by any suitable means to a bending and forming machine M whichgive the anchor sections G their final form and set as indicated at H inFig. 9.

Accordingly, it will be apparent that after the shearing step whichinvolves the severing or cutting up of the relatively long anchor blankinto individual anchor sections, the said sections designated as G, areplaced between the movable die elements of a suitahle'bending press M asillustrated in Fig. 12 of the drawings. From this latter figure it willbe observed that the individual anchor section G is placed upon theanvil element 4 of the bending press with its head or flange engagingportion 9' resting upon the bending edge 5 of the anvil while its tailportion is disposed at one side of the die recess 6 at the base of theanvil, whereby when the movable head 7 of the die descends the portion 8thereof will bend down the tip of the head 9' of the anchor section asshown in Fig. 13, while the portion 9 of said head will force a suitablecam 10 to rock inward and thus force the tail 9 of the anchor againstthe forming surface of the recess 6 to thus form and set the tail pieceof the finished anchorshape H. In connection with this final shaping ofthe anchor section, it may be noted that the forming face 7 of the head7 of the bending press is so de signed as to embrace the hooked portionof the anchor G, and en age the same at the points 8 and Tsimultaneously to thus prevent side slipping or unregulated movement ofthe anchor piece Gr while under the influence of the downward movementof the movable head 7 Subsequent to the final shaping of the anchorsection into the form designated as lil, it may then be tempered. Toeffect this tempering it may be carried away from the bending machine M(see Fig. 10) and de posited upon a suitable conveyer belt 11 to begiven the desired set and hardness by submerging the same in a suitabletempering bath held within a container 12 as shown in Figs. 10 and 16 ofthe drawings. After passing through the tempering bath the anchors maythen be transferred .on to a delivery incline or chute 13 so that theircollection in a car or other receptacle 14; may be facilitated.

While the series of instrumentalities herein described constitute apractical way of forming and handling the rail anchors in themanufacture thereof it will be understood that any suitable andpractical construction of machines may be utilized for this purposewithout in any way departing from the process forming the subject-matterof this application. And, by way of exemplifying the different forms ofmachines that may be employed in carrying out the process reference ismade to Figs. 14 and 15 wherein is illustrated another type andconstruction of bending press used in shaping the rail flange engagingelements of the anchors.

Referring briefly to this machine shown in Figs. 14. and 15 of thedrawings it will be observed that the same involves in its organizationa stationary bed 15 formed with a suitable socket or cavity 16 forreceiving the lower end of a specially shaped anvil 17 which is normallymaintained in an elevated position by a relatively stout coil spring 18confined between the lower face of the anvil and the floor of the socket16. The upper or head portion of this anvil 1'7 is of special formation,and as shown, is provided with an upper inclined face 19 which is joinerby a more abruptly inclined face 20 to cause the desired formation ofanchor as will presently appear, and at one side thereof is providedwith a tongue extension 21 which overhangs the fixed anvil face 22 ofthe stationary bed 15 as clearly shown in Fig. 14 of the drawings. Abovethe sta tionary bed 15 is a movable plunger head 23 having a suitablyformed lower die face 24, a portion 25 of which projects considerablylower than the rest to properly cooperate with the inclined face 20 ofthe yieldably mounted anvil 17. The engagement of the die element 25with the tail g of the anchor unit is timed to act synchronously withthe tongue extension 21 and the movement of the hook g of the anchorunit over the anvil face 22 so that there will be no tendency of theanchor unit to slip during the bending or bull-dozing operation.

After an anchor section has been cut from the anchor blank it isproposed to place the same on the upper surface of the anvil l? as shownin Fig. 14;, whereby the hook portion g of the anchor section isconfined between the lower face of the anvil extension 21 and the fixedanvil face 22 of the stationary bed, while the tail por ion of theanchor projects over into the path of the projecting portion 25 of themovable plunger head. Upon the descent of the latter the final form ofthe anchor is produced because of the fact that the portion 25 of theplunger head bonds the piece down into Contact with the anvil surface 20during the final movement of the head and at the same time causes theextremity of the hook portion 9 of the anchor section 9 to assume a moreor less horizontal position as shown in Fig. 15. Obviously, when thehead 23 is elevated after the forming operation, the anchor will be alsolifted because of the action of the spring 18 on the anvil, whereby thefinished anchor may be readily removed and transferred to the temperingbath.

From the foregoing it will be clear that the present inventionessentially involves the preliminary step of subjecting heated bar orbillet to a series of suitably shaped roll passes which willsuccessively change the cross-sectional area of the blank to properlydistribute the metal thereof at points where it may be most effectivelyemployed, thus having the great advantage of producing a strong andsubstantial anchor with a minimum amount of metal. This first step ofthe process has in view the production of an anchor blank which may bereadily subjected to a shearing operation to form the individual anchorsections, and as a third step, the process contemplates the bending ofthe anchor section thus formed into its final shape and subsequently ifnecessary subjecting the finally formed anchor to a s itable temperingbath to give the desired set and hardness to the metal and thus insurethe efficient performance of the functions of the anchor when in servicein track.

While a practical type of anchor has been illustrated in Figs. 1 to 16of the drawings, it will be obvious that the process involved in thepresent invention is susceptible of producing anchors of various shapesand types and by way of illustrating other forms of anchor which may beproduced reference may be made to Figs. 17 to 9.0 of the drawings. Fig.17 shows an anchor blank F as it comes from the final roll pass, andwhich after being sheared along the dotted lines m for instance, may bebent to produce a single flange engaging clip type of anchor H shown inFig. 16. Also, Fig. 17 shows an anchor blank F of a further modified.cross-sectional shape as it would emerge from its final roll pass. Thisblank, as in the case of the others, may be subjected to a shearingoperation to produce the individual anchor sections which after beingbent on a suitable bending machine as proposed by the bending step ofthe present processes, will produce a finished anchor of a double flangeengaging type designated at H shown in Fig. 20 of the drawings.

Therefore, it will be obvious that the present process having chiefly inview the rolling of the anchors in such a form that the metal isproperly distributed with reference to the strains and stresses may bereadily and easily followed to produce any desired or specified type ofanchor.

I claim 1. The process of fabricating rail anchors which consists infirst subjecting a bar blank to a roll pass which disposes the metalinto a primary bowed shape, then subjecting the bowed shape to a rollingoperation which places a preponderant body of metal toward anedge of thebar, then shearing the bar into rail anchor units, and subsequentlyfolding the thickened end portion of each unit.

2. The process of fabricating rail anchors which consists in subjectinga bar blank to roll passes which displace metal from one part of theblank toward an edge and simul taneously giving such edge portion anangular shape and subsequently subjecting said angular edge portion to abending operation forming a clip.

3. The process of fabricating rail anchors which consists in firstsubjecting abar blank to a roll pass which disposes the metal into aprimary bowed approximate shape, then subjecting said shape tosuccessive rolling operations placing a preponderance of metal towardone edge portion and simultaneously deflecting the same at an arcuateangle to the main body of the blank to facilitate easy shearing", thenshearing said SQCQiOIl into individual rail anchor units, andsubsequently closing the angular part forming a clip.

4. The process of fabricating rail anchors which consists in firstsubjecting a bar blank to a roll pass which disposes the metal into abowed shape having an unsymmetrical distribution of metaland whose crosssection represents a distribution of metal graduated to the strains tobe imposed upon the finished device, and subsequently subjecting the endportions of the rolled section to bending operations.

5. The process of fabricating rail anchors which consists in subjectinga bar blank to roll passes producing, a shape wherein the metal isunsymmetrically distributed in relatively small amounts where thestrains are light and large amounts where the heavier strains will befocused, and subsequently subjecting this shape to shearing and bendingoperations forming rail engaging and holding elements.

6. The process of fabricating rail anchors which consists in firstsubjecting a bar billet to a rolling operation to unevenly distributethe metal therein, placing a greater proportion of metal toward an edgeportion, then shearing said rolled bar into anchor units, and thenbending terminal portions of said anchor units forming rail-engaging andholding elements.

7. A process of fabricating rail anchors which consists in subjecting aheated billet to roll passes to successively change the cross sectionalarea of the blank forming a shape having rail engaging elements and apreponderant body of metal at the location where the heavier strains arefocused, and finally subjecting the final shape to a tentpering bath.

S. The method of making rail anchors comprising forming a bar withintegral deepenings at predetermined locations thereon, then bendingsaid bar forming a jaw with the deepened portion located at the curvedend.

9. The method of making rail anchors comprising forming a bar withintegral deepenings at predetermined locations thereon, then bendingsaid bar to form a pair of clamping jaws, with the deepened portionslocated at the curved ends thereof.

10. The method of making a rail anchor comprising the production of ametal bar, with integral thickenings at predetermined locations thereon,then bending the ends of said bar to form rail flange engaging elements,with the integral thickenings at one or more of the locations subjectedto the greatest bending stresses.

11. The method'of making a rail anchor comprising the production of ametal bar, with integral thickenings at predetermined locations thereon,then bending the ends of said bar to'form a pair of clamping jaws withthe integral thickenings at one or more of the locations subjected tothe greatest bending stresses.

12. The method of making a rail anchor comprising the production of ametal bar with an integral thickening at a predetermined locationthereon, then bending the end of said bar to form a jaw with theintegral thickening at the location subjected to the greatest bendingstress.

13. The method of making a rail anchor comprising the production of ametal bar, with integral thickenings at predetermined locations thereon,then bending the end of said bar to form a clamping jaw with theintegral thickenings at one or more of the locations subjected to thegreatest bending stresses.

14. The process of fabricating rail anchors which consist in subjectinga bar blank to roll passes which displace the metal toward an edge toform an angular bend adjacent said edge, and subsequently subjectingsaid edge portion to a bending operation form ing a clip.

15. The process of fabricating rail anchors which consists in subjectinga bar blank to roll passes which displace the metal toward an edge toform an angular band adj acent said edge, subsequently subjecting saidedge portion to a bending operation forming a clip, and finallysubjecting the final shape to a tempering bath.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature in the presence oftwo witnesses.

BENJAMIN WOLI-IAUPTER.

Witnesses EUGENE T. HARTIGAN, JOHN K. MoAvoY.

